Article by Phoenix writer Cristina Palmieri ’25:
Something I have always struggled with is judgment. Especially in this society of scrutiny, I find myself passing judgment on others far too often. I would deem somebody bad for spreading rumors or for breaking rules. I would deem someone good for helping a homeless person. Positive or negative, I thought my opinion on somebody else mattered. I thought the same for others’ view on me. I had to keep a certain appearance up so that people would like me. So that people would think that I am good.
These last few months have been very centered around transformation for a lot of people, and very much for me. As we hit the very end of the first trimester, I think to myself, “How have I behaved this year? How do people think of me?” These thoughts ripple through my mind. The constant anxiety that what I am doing is wrong and the judgment of others’ wrongdoings constantly plagues my mind.
On November 26, the end of the long weekend this month, I decided to finish off my weekend with Mass. This is the first Mass I have attended by choice in a while. I hoped something profound would come out of it. I realized that the very thing I have always struggled with was being addressed that Sunday.
November 26 is the solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. At first I found this silly. Why would the priest bring this up? We know Christ is the king of everything. The Gospel reading very quickly explained the priest’s reasoning. That day’s Gospel referenced Judgment Day. Matthew writes, “What you have done for the least of my brothers, you have done for me.”
For those unfamiliar, in this passage we see the separation of the sheep who let their lives be guided by the Good Shepherd from the goats who did not. This image was always
daunting to me as a kid. Are we merely sheep and goats? Will we be eternally praised or damned for the mistakes we make in this lifetime?
I still think this way, but it brings me a sense of peace now. To be a sheep, to be eternally with God, all we have to do is let Christ guide us. It does not matter what I think of somebody else. I cannot change that person. It does not matter what anybody thinks of me and my deeds. I shouldn’t be looking to be good for others’ approval. The goal is God’s approval. Christ is the king of the universe. Not myself, not my teachers, not my friends. Christ has ultimate authority. In pleasing Him, I will please other people. This day reminded me so much of what I had heard but never listened to as a child; God is the answer to everything.
I left Mass that morning with a new attitude, ambitious to serve others in the process of serving the Almighty